A Meditation upon Aputosi Pii'kani Tradition and Environmental Ethics

Old Man made us. I don’t know who made him. I guess he always was. And he was, and is, a God. He was not called Old Man because of great age. The gods can not grow old, they live forever.

— Red Eagle of the Amaskapi Pii'kanis

Impacted by a water storage dam during the late eighties, the Old Man River, in present-day Alberta, has from time immemorial been the sacred center of the Aputosi Pii'kani people's homelands. Using an organic approach to oral tradition, this essay by Jay Hansford C. Vest, University of North Carolina at Pembroke, explores the religious significance of a Pii'kani sacred geography centered on the Old Man River. Considering environmental ethics, special attention is given to the Pii'kani worldview and tradition.

By Rick Andrews

American Museum of Natural History, 1908

The Old Man, or Napi, has been given the first place in this collection of Blackfoot myths by the American Museum of Natural History. The collection, based on oral traditions around the year 1900, aims to present the tone of the mythical age and the supernatural.

A First Nation Cultural Experience

Get out and enjoy your vacation the way it was meant to be experienced -- in nature! Buffalo Rock Tipi Camp 's single-day programs offer a rich experience, with activities that include Smudge and prayer ceremonies, Blackfoot storytellers, Traditional First Nations Games, Guided nature hikes, Drum and Song Demonstration.